NOTEWORTHY

Little Big Man

Three years after reinventing the crime movie with “Bonnie and Clyde,” director Arthur Penn worked similar magic on the Western, adapting Thomas Berger’s novel about a very old man (Dustin Hoffman) who tells the tale of his exploits in the Old West, where he was raised by Native Americans. The film’s attitudes toward indigenous people were boldy progressive at the time of its release, in 1970, coming as it did during a period when most Westerns still teemed with racist images of “merciless Indian savages.” (Source: The Declaration of Independence.) But “Little Big Man” is more than a corrective; Hoffman’s masterly acting, Penn’s energetic direction and the sly wit of Calder Willingham’s screenplay make for an unpredictable and inspired ride. (“Allied” and “Game Change,” both on Prime, will also appeal to admirers of historical drama.) — Jason Bailey